The present invention relates to a rear vehicle-body structure of a vehicle comprising a deck cover which is provided to cover over a storage compartment storing an openable roof and connected to a vehicle body so as to open or close.
There is a type of vehicle, a so-called open car, in which a passenger cabin is coved with an openable roof. In this type of vehicle, the openable roof is configured to be folded and stored in a storage compartment which is provided at a vehicle rear portion so that an upper portion of the cabin portion can be open.
US Patent Application Publication No. 2008/0116712 A1, for example, discloses a vehicle equipped with an openable roof (6) which comprises a front roof (11) positioned at a vehicle front side and a rear roof (12) positioned at vehicle rear side and pivotally supported at a stand portion (9) rising from a vehicle body and a storage compartment (24) which stores the openable roof (6) at a rear portion of the vehicle body.
In the vehicle of the above-described patent document, a back window (28) is moved downward and stored in a vehicle compartment, and then the front roof (11) is moved upward and rearward with its rotational axis (13) positioned at a connection point of the front roof (11) and the rear roof (12).
Subsequently, the front roof (11) and the rear roof (12) are moved rearward and upward together with a rotational axis (8) positioned at a connection point of the rear roof (12) and the stand portion (9), so that they are stored in the storage compartment (24).
In the vehicle equipped with the above-described openable roof, the storage compartment for storing the openable roof is covered with the openable deck cover so that the vehicle's exterior appearance does not deteriorate regardless of an opening/closing state of the openable roof.
Herein, an opening/closing structure in which the deck cover (25) is rotated by means of a hinge to rotatably connect a rear end of the deck cover (25) and the vehicle body, which is disclosed in the above-describe patent document, for example, is known as an opening/closing structure of the openable deck cover.
Moreover, as another opening/closing structure of the deck cover is known an opening/closing structure in which the deck cover is moved substantially in parallel so as to rise upward by means of plural link members connecting the deck cover ant the vehicle body and a drive mechanism to rotate the link members, for example.
Herein, in a case of the deck cover being configured such that protrusion portions (27) which protrude upward in a fin shape at a position behind a passenger are arranged side by side with a specified distance, in the vehicle width direction, therebetween like the structure disclosed in the above-described patent document, this deck cover becomes larger-sized and heavier and also the height of the gravity of this deck cover becomes higher, compared with a flat-plate shaped deck cover.
In a case in which the above-described high and large-sized deck cover is operated so as to be moved upward substantially in parallel, there is a problem that the deck cover may shake easily due to the wind or its size, so that the operational state (opening/closing) of the deck cover becomes improperly unstable.
Further, in a case in which there is provided a header portion which is arranged close to the openable roof in a vehicle longitudinal direction and connects the protrusion portion in a vehicle width direction, for example, there is a concern that the deck cover becomes so large-sized that the operational state (opening/closing) of the deck cover may become more unstable.
Therefore, there is a concern that there may occur a problem caused by a contact of a lower portion of the deck cover with the vehicle body when the deck cover is closed, another problem of opening/closing failure caused by the deck cover being closed in a state of being twisted relative to the vehicle body, or the like.